There's No Place Like Home!

Things have been kind of busy these past few days. I just wanted to quickly update and let you know that Carter was able to come home from the hospital last week. I don't remember the day because they have all just blurred together. He is on a apnea monitor that goes off if he stops breathing for too long or his heart rate goes up or drops. It is very reassuring. He seems like he s doing so much better finally. We will go in to see the Pulminologist on Thursday and if all goes well he gets to come off the machine. I can't wait! Of course only if he is healthy.

My next door neighbor's little sister took this picture of Carter a couple of weeks ago. She is so amazing and did such a wonderful job. There are more to come, but I just liked this one so much I wanted to put it up. Love you all and thanks for the support!

Hospitals, Hospitals and more Hospitals!

Just to give everyone an update Carter had to go back into the hospital on Monday. He had a really good day Sunday but that night things got worse and they weren't any better the next day for our follow up appointment with our doctor so they had us take him to the ER. Sure enough he wasn't doing good and they admitted him and then transfered him to another hospital with better support for his needs. Now we have been to 3 different hospitals in one week! We are still so grateful though that he is here with us. Even though every time I hold him there are a gazillion cords hooked up to him and it could almost break your heart I shudder to think what might have happened if they weren't available. I can't help but feel gratitude when I ponder all the worried mothers out there who never had these things available to them to help their babies breath and get well. At least I know I have a team of people watching him around the clock.

He might be sent home today or tomorrow. They are sending him home on a monitor and a better machine to give him his breathing treatments. It seems that maybe the first machine they gave us wasn't sufficient for his needs and that could be why he is back in the hospital. He still is such a happy little boy through all this. He has been poked and prodded at so much but all the nurses comment on how happy and bright eyed he is. We'll keep you updated. Thanks for all the prayers, love and support. It has been overwhelming and we really do feel like Heavenly Father has sent so many earthly angels to help us at this time!

So Blessed....

This past month has brought about many, many new experiences and challenges for our little family. It started when I had early labor for about three weeks before Carter was born. After four hospital visits and bed rest he was born. When we finally made it out of the hospital after an extended stay we were thrilled. Then we spent our first night home caring for Kate as she threw up all night long and it continued for two days until we ended up in the ER for an IV. I had never seen my baby girl so sick. It broke my heart. Then over the next few weeks I experienced three infections and thrush and a very difficult case of PPD. Then in the midst of it all Chris hurts himself playing basketball and he ends up in the ER with a severely sprained ankle and comes home on crutches.





I feel so blessed for all of these experiences that we have had. During these times I have found myself on my knees multiple times a day praying for the strength to keep going. We have been blessed by so many people with their service and their prayers. We have truly seen miracles.


This week we found ourselves again humbled by the miracles we have seen. Our sweet baby Carter started getting sick a couple of weeks ago. And Wednesday night we happened to take him in to the doctor because he had vomited twice that day. Once we were in the office the nurse took a look at him, checked his breathing and rushed out of the room to get the doctor who quickly followed her in. We were sent to the ER and admitted to the hospital. It truly was such a blessing because I had no idea he was so sick. Then the next morning he started breathing fast again. He was breathing a 100 reps per min when normal breathing is 20-40 per min. His oxygen absorption dropped so even the oxygen he was breathing wasn't being taken into his blood. They sent him by ambulance to a larger hospital down in D.C. that specialized in respiration problems and also had a pediatric ICU. They diagnosed him with bronchiolitis and RSV. They told us that as sick as he was he wouldn't be out of the hospital for at least a week. We spent the next two days in the hospital and after many prayers by us and on our behalf he was able to come home. It was a true that he was able to heal so quickly. It has been such a long week but we are overjoyed to have him home again in his own bed. He is still a very sick baby and I miss the monitors that I was able to watch and listen to telling me if he was okay or not. I miss the nurses who knew exactly what to do when something went wrong but I feel so lucky to be able to hold him in my arms without all those cords on him. We feel all the more blessed and have been able to ponder again how fragile and precious life is and how much we should enjoy every minute that we have.

This is when they started him on oxygen because he wasn't getting or absorbing enough.

At the new hospital and hooked up to all his cords.

He is having a rough week.

Getting ready to go home and finally a FREE man of all those cords! It was so wonderful to be able to hold him without all them attached.

Two Weeks of....

Who knew having a baby could be this fun...crazy...sleepless. Our lack of blogging has been due to all the suprises that have popped up over the past two weeks. It all started when we came home from the hospital on New Years Eve and Kate started throwing up. That was just beginning and everything went downhill from there. After multiple trips back and forth from the hospital and doctor's office things are finally slowing down. Except for the whole sleep thing we still don't get any of that.

Kate is amazing. There has never been a little brother more loved than Carter. I was so worried about her not liking him or being jealous, but it is completely the opposite. Sometimes I struggle to keep her hands off him.

We've spent a lot of time just hanging out and lounging around because at least one person everyday isn't feeling good. It has been nice to lay around together.

Even though these past two weeks have possibly been the most challenging of my life I am truly grateful for the experience. I have learned that through our trials our Heavenly Father shows us what we are made of and shows us his miracles. We have seen first hand his miracles in these past two weeks.

I'm so thankful for my baby Carter and for the little piece of heaven that he brought down with him.

Carter Clay

He's here! Carter was born Monday night on December 29, 2008 at 9:19 pm. He weighed 7 lbs 12 ounces. He came after a crazy labor and delivery, but we made it, and he is so darn cute. He was born with brown, wavy hair and all the nurses in the nursery were were ogling over it.

Cinderella came to visit her little brother at the hospital. She is looking forward to her new doll she has to play with. She is a good mommy to him!

This is my awesome labor coach. I wouldn't have made it with out him! He did such an amazing job helping me through it all. I love you Chris!

We had such an awesome experience getting to do this together. Carter has been such a special blessing to add to our home.

Hanging out with my kids!

Just Thinking.....

As we approach the arrival of our next baby it has made me stop and think a lot about how it was when Kate was born. Lately Chris and I have been talking about how he wasn't even around for this part of the pregnancy last time. He has never seen my belly quite this big before or me in need of quite so much sleep. Last time when I was about 34 weeks Chris received the phone call we had been waiting over a year for. The only problem was that we was scheduled to leave for training in two weeks and wouldn't be back for three months. It was a complete shock to both of us. Many tears were shed over this new direction our life was taking but we defiantly knew that this was what we were supposed to be doing. So we dried our eyes and Chris took off for Georgia and I stayed behind to welcome our new baby into the world. Lucky for me I have so many amazing women who were there to fill in for him. I would not have made it through any of those long days and lonely nights without them.

Luckily with the kindness of family and friends Chris was able to fly home a week and half after Kate was born to meet her. This is the first time he held her. Doesn't he look scared! Let's just say it was a bit overwhelming for him to leave with a pregnant wife and come back with her holding this tiny baby girl.

They became good friends right away and it has never changed. We are so stoked to get to do this again. Chris is excited to get to be around this time for the delivery. We feel so blessed for the opportunity we had last time to grow and mature through our trials and also that this time we now get to be together. It makes me grateful and glad that I am not the one in control but that there is someone much wiser in charge of the show.

Elder Wirthlin

I was sadden today when I learned that Elder Wirthlin had passed away. He was one apostle of which I was hoping would be around for ever. His sweet spirit and calm demeanor I have always enjoyed. It is so nice to know that he is now with his wife. It is times like this that make me grateful again that the heavens are still open and that there are apostles and prophets on the earth again. I am grateful for his life of service and dedication and hopefully now he can receive some rest.